Foray at Turkey Pen

Date: August 18, 2017

Almost 20 of us enjoyed foraging at Turkey Pen on Friday August, 18. Sheila Dunn took a group on the lower loop and Ginger Fisher took one on the upper route. Turkey Pen typically has rich, acid soil and lots of pine and hemlock. So, we typically collect a lot of chanterelles and lobsters on this foray. But not this year. Perhaps it had rained too much? Others, though, have reported on the paucity of lobsters this year in WNC, so who knows?

Adam Johnson, who was on the upper route, wins the prize for best dinner Friday night by collecting an entire basket of gorgeous Lactarius corrugis (Corrugated Milky)! Special thanks to Laurie Jaegers for identifying at the tables and a special shout out to Colleen Rockstroh for lugging the ID tables and materials to the foray. Sheila did a short presentation for beginners emphasizing the edible, medicinal and useful mushrooms.

After the foray, we took a field trip to Deep Woods Mushrooms, where Greg Carter showed us his mushroom growing operation. Impressive! Deep Woods Mushrooms also sells spawn and gives classes on log inoculation. PLUS they make shiitake pizzas on an outdoor wood-fired oven. Thanks, Greg!